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 The High Court has suspended the implementation of a $2.5 billion (sh 325 billion) health cooperation framework between Kenya and the United States following a constitutional petition filed by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah Okoiti.  The petition, filed as PET E816 of 2025, challenges the legality of the agreement signed on December 4, 2025. Omtatah sued Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi, the Cabinet Secretary for Health, the National Treasury, and the Attorney General, accusing the government of bypassing public participation, Parliament, and data protection safeguards. Omtatah argues that the deal was negotiated and signed in Washington DC without public disclosure or consultations, contrary to Articles 10 and 118 of the Constitution, despite its far-reaching implications on public health policy, taxation, and personal medical data. In Courts. Although described as a “framework,” Omtatah contends the agreement is in substance a b...

A Nairobi High Court has sentenced two officials of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) to jail after finding them in contempt for defying court orders. The two,secretary general Rev. Patrick Waihenya received a three-month jail term, while Moderator Rev. Patrick Thegu Mutahi was sentenced to one month. Both officials were also given the option of paying fines instead sh150,000 for Waihenya and sh100,000 for Thegu. “I hereby find the 1st and 2nd respondents (Waihenya and Thegu) in contempt of this court, and the first respondent will serve three months in jail or pay a sh150,000 fine, while the second respondent will serve one month in jail or pay a fine of sh100,000,” Lady Justice Stella Mutuku ruled. A photo of Milimani law courts building/photo/Files  The court found that the two officials deliberately ignored orders halting the installation of David Nderitu Ndumo as the church’s Honorary Treasurer.  The orders had been issued on April 8, 2024, ahead of PCEA’s 24t...

The High Court at Milimani has struck down three directives that had barred Marie Stopes Kenya from offering abortion services, post-abortion care, and related health information, delivering a major victory for women, adolescents, and marginalized groups. The directives, issued by the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB), the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC), and the Director of Medical Services (DMS), had sparked a legal battle spanning more than seven years. The case was filed by the Network for Adolescents and Youth of Africa (NAYA–Kenya) and Jackline Mary Karanja, represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, before Justice Chacha Mwita. A photo of Milimani law courts Nairobi/Photo/File The petitioners argued that the directives violated the Constitution and denied women and young people access to essential sexual and reproductive health information. The dispute dates back to August 2018 when Marie Stopes Kenya, in partnership with Radio Africa Group,...

Embu Senator Alexander Munyi Mundigi has hit back at the Democratic Party of Kenya (DPK), rejecting claims that he supported a rival candidate in the Mbeere North by-election and dismissing the party’s warning as unfounded. Through Danstan Omari & Associates, the senator’s legal team said Mundigi was never personally served with the disciplinary letter dated November 18, 2025, as he was on official duty in Uganda at the time. Embu senator Alexander Munyi Mundigi addressing the media/Photo/X They further argued that DPK has not formally exited the Kenya Kwanza coalition, insisting the senator remains a loyal party member. “Our client has consistently remitted party dues and remains committed to the party. Issuing summons and threatening expulsion before engaging him on the allegations undermines his role as Acting Deputy Party Leader,” lawyer Danstan Omari said. DPK had accused Mundigi of breaching party loyalty by allegedly campaigning for a candidate not nominated by the party in ...

The family of Beatrice Wairimu Mbugua, also known as Betty Bayo, has formally requested the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to institute an inquest into her death, citing disturbing circumstances surrounding the case. In their letter dated December 9, 2025, the family expresses suspicion of foul play and outlines concerns about the manner in which the matter was handled.  Through Omenke Andeje & Company Advocates, the family represented by her mother Joyce Wairimu Mbugua says “the family has had to go through unbearable pain in accepting the fact that the deceased, who had never exhibited any illness would just die mysteriously. The late gospel artist Beatrice Wairimu Mbugua alias Betty Bayo with his husband/Photo/X The family argue that Betty Bayo “did not have a history of any underlying condition,” yet the family was denied an autopsy report and was also not provided with the medical records or information regarding what she was being treated for.  Accordi...

A photo of Kenyatta University vice chancellor Prof.Paul Wainaina/photo/X A petition challenging the leadership decisions of Kenyatta University Vice Chancellor Prof. Paul Kuria Wainaina has been placed before the High Court, with two alumni seeking to have him compelled to proceed on terminal leave. Principal Judge Byram Ongaya has directep that the petition dated December 1, 2025 be served on all parties immediately. He stopped short of issuing interim orders and instead scheduled the matter for inter partes hearing on December 16, 2025. The petitioners, Elizabeth Chesang and Rosemary Wanjiru Gichuhi, argue that Prof. Wainaina’s term ends on January 26, 2026, yet they claim he has continued to make decisions within the last six months that allegedly undermine the Constitution. Through their lawyer Odhiambo Ouma, the two want the university compelled to disclose how it arrived at decisions to revoke, appoint, and promote various office holders during that period.  They insist the...

Police in Laare have arrested six more suspects in connection with the shocking gang rape of a young woman in Laare Town, Igembe North Sub-County, on December 1, 2025. According to police reports, officers at Laare Police Station received a distress call from members of the public alerting them to an incident in which a woman was being assaulted by a group of men taking part in a traditional circumcision procession. Responding immediately, the officers rushed to the scene and found the victim in severe distress, her clothing torn and her dignity violated. She was quickly escorted to Nyambene Hospital, where she received urgent medical care. Following the attack, police launched an intensive manhunt for the perpetrators. Guided by forensic leads, officers conducted targeted raids across Irinde, Lubwa, and Kiarama areas. During the operation, they arrested six suspects identified as Dennis Mwirigi, Ismael Gichuge, Elijah Muriki, Isaac Ntomauta, Joseph Marete, and Phineas Mutali, who were...

A public inquest will be opened to investigate the death of Lornah Kathambi, a Daystar University student who died after falling from the 11th floor of Harmony Plaza in Ngara. This follows advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, issued after detectives handed over CCTV recordings and a toxicology analysis capturing the student’s final hours. Testifying before Magistrate Dolphina Alego at the Milimani law courts,the lead investigator Johnnes Nyangige explained that Kathambi had been with Kariuki moments before the fall.  The two reportedly attempted to move from one part of the building to another. The 1st respondent (Kariuki Gitonga) completed the jump, but Kathambi slipped and plunged to the ground. Seven suspects before Milimani law courts on December 1,2025 after the court told them they will serve as state witnesses in the case.photo/Screengrab Nyangige noted that the toxicology report indicated Kathambi was heavily intoxicated at the time. The State has ...